Sawyer has spent practically her entire career in front of the camera, starting as a weather reporter in Louisville, Ky. Two decades later she became the first female co-anchor for "60 Minutes." Among her long list of accomplishments are live interviews with President George W. Bush from the White House after Hurricane Katrina, Manuel Noriega's first interview from prison and a recent in-person interview with TB patient Andrew Speaker in his hospital room. Also a co-anchor for "Primetime Live," the investigative journalist has traveled to North Korea, Syria, Iran and Afghanistan to meet with newsmakers and leaders. A writer, Sawyer helped pen former President Richard Nixon's memoirs and held several positions in his administration. It seems that Sawyer has always been popular, as she was voted most likely to succeed in high school and was once crowned a Junior Miss.—Suzanne Hoppough

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Published sources include the women's official biographies, Factiva, International Who's Who of 2006, Marquis Who's Who, World Almanac of Famous People, Palgrave Who's Who 2006, the Congressional Yellow Book, the Judicial Yellow Book, Europa World Year Book, Hoover's Online, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, World Economic Forum, the World Book Encyclopedia. Rankings generated by combining various financial figures with other media and biography metrics; global media mentions from Factiva.